Helene cleanup effort nearing the finish line

A state debris removal project for Northeast Tennessee's waterways is coming to a close."We actually have finished [removing any more debris]," said Heath Stone, vice president of Phillips and Jordan, the main vendor tasked with removing debris caused by Tropical Storm Helene.Stone spoke at a webinar hosted by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency on Thursday with updates on the state-funded cleanup effort in the region."We're currently just finishing mainly grinding at a couple [debris management] sites, finishing hauling out the mulch," he said.Debris management sites are where debris has been taken to be reduced or disposed. Any vegetative debris is grinded into mulch. Other debris like vehicles or household appliances were taken to a debris management site before being finally disposed of.The project covered waterways in Unicoi, Washington, Johnson, Greene and Cocke counties. The waterways include the Nolichucky, French Broad, and Pigeon Rivers, Watauga Lake and its tributaries, as well as Johnson County waterways."We broke up the waterways into segments, and then released the crews. We put safety personnel throughout the project," said Stone. "We put managers and supervisors out throughout the project so that we're making sure that we have a coordinated approach, that it's not just a free for all, but that we were continuously working down the waterways."About 5 million cubic yards of debris was collected from rivers and lakes across the region, according to TEMA.Patty Woodby, Carter County mayor, also spoke at the webinar. She said the project "set the standard" for debris removal processes in the state, and could serve as a model for others."I can tell you, Texas will be looking to Tennessee on how to mitigate with the debris, because I think we've set the standard for debris removal in the state," Woodby said. "Not just on the waterways, but on the land and the right of ways."About a third of Carter County was "almost completely destroyed" according to Woodby, including $180 million in infrastructure damage and $150 million in residential damage.Woodby also said the community meetings hosted throughout the last six months of the project were a highlight."As long as the community is aware and you're in front of that, it helps to deflect or defer or listen to the aggravation that citizens may have if something's going on," said Woodby.The state agencies involved in the cleanup project included the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Department of Military, and the Wildlife Resources Agency.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency were also involved."It was just a very collaborative team approach that I think really made it a whole lot easier for everybody," said Stone."I think the biggest thing I learned, and I think that we probably saw … is just getting out to the community, working with the agencies to communicate to the public what is going to happen."Jorgelina Manna-Rea is an environmental reporter at Six Rivers Media through Report for America.